Head to Head Analysis: Exro Technologies (OTCMKTS:EXROF) versus ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH)

Exro Technologies (OTCMKTS:EXROF) and ESS Tech (NYSE:GWH) are both small-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk and valuation.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Exro Technologies and ESS Tech”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Exro Technologies	$16.84 million	1.54	-$210.86 million	($0.47)	-0.10
ESS Tech	$6.30 million	3.40	-$86.22 million	($6.27)	-0.26

ESS Tech has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Exro Technologies. ESS Tech is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Exro Technologies, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Exro Technologies and ESS Tech, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Exro Technologies	2	3	0	0	1.60
ESS Tech	1	7	0	0	1.88

ESS Tech has a consensus target price of $2.6250, indicating a potential upside of 58.13%. Given ESS Tech’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe ESS Tech is more favorable than Exro Technologies.

Profitability

This table compares Exro Technologies and ESS Tech’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Exro Technologies	-1,420.35%	-414.44%	-53.82%
ESS Tech	-1,217.22%	-321.20%	-114.71%

Volatility & Risk

Exro Technologies has a beta of 0.31, suggesting that its stock price is 69% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ESS Tech has a beta of 1.23, suggesting that its stock price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

46.8% of ESS Tech shares are held by institutional investors. 2.3% of ESS Tech shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

ESS Tech beats Exro Technologies on 9 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Exro Technologies

Exro Technologies Inc. focuses on developing generation power-control electronics in Canada. The company offers Exro Coil Driver, which allows the motor to switch between different operational profiles in real-time, as well as have multiple gears for scooters, electric bikes, recreational, light electric cars, motorcycles, fleet vans, electric buses, passenger vehicles, long-haul trucks, and industrial vehicles markets; and Exro Cell Driver, a stationary energy storage system for commercial and industrial energy storage applications. It also provides electric vehicle consulting and engineering services. The company was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

About ESS Tech

ESS Tech, Inc., an energy storage company, designs and produces iron flow batteries for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications worldwide. It offers energy storage products, which include Energy Warehouse, a behind-the-meter solution; and Energy Center, a front-of-the-meter solution. The company was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon.